


Move Onward Not There Yet

by Etoile_Filante



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Fairgame rights, Family, Guilt, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Post chapter 12, Qrow needs a hug, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22424839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etoile_Filante/pseuds/Etoile_Filante
Summary: “I’m going to see him.” She said, standing up. She glanced at her sister who wore her hesitation on her face.“I’m not sure Ruby… He doesn’t really talk. I’m not sure he even registered Jaune and I being in the room just now.”“I don’t care. He needs his family. I’m going.”Clover is dead and Qrow is shutting down. More than ever, Ruby and Yang need to be there for him.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 127





	Move Onward Not There Yet

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I'm writing something sad. This is my catharsis so if I keep writing, I'll go back to ignoring the current situation and give Fairgame and Qrow the happiness they deserve.  
> Please keep in mind that English is not my mother-tongue. I hope you enjoy!

The silence on the airship could have been cut with a knife, even Nora and Ruby couldn’t be bothered to try and engage in a conversation. They had defeated the Ace Ops and were now heading to Vacuo. Yang and Blake had had some doubts about the fate of Mantle following their departure, but with Ironwood defeated and Winter in charge, they all felt a bit more comfortable about Mantle’s fate. Still, the battle had been rough and now General Ironwood was an enemy. Not to mention Clover…

Ruby bit her lip, unable to distract herself from her worries. They had found her uncle sitting next to his lover’s dead body in the middle of nowhere, a Harbinger-shaped wound in Clover’s chest and his pin in Qrow’s shaking hands. Upon seeing the aircraft coming for him, he barely moved, and Ruby knew that it wasn’t because he had recognized allies. He had just been ready to give up and it was just his luck that the airship coming for him hadn’t been an enemy’s airship. Ruby thought he would have been hesitant to leave with them, abandoning Clover’s body, but he didn’t, which was even more disturbing. Before standing up, he just covered Clover’s face with his cloak and then silently climbed on the airship, eyes empty and not acknowledging anyone around him. 

When the airship took off, Qrow had isolated himself in the back of the airship, behind the heavy door. None of the kids tried to talk to him, not even Ruby. They had seen Qrow and Clover’s relationship developed from partners to friends to lovers, and they understood that not only Qrow needed some time alone but also that he wouldn’t like anyone seeing him like that. Still, Ruby had asked Jaune to have a look at him to make sure his aura would be restored. Yang went with him, more for Jaune’s sake than her own as she knew her friend was still intimidated by the Huntsman.

Ruby heard the back door opening and quickly raised her head. Jaune and Yang came out of the room and the sad expression on both their faces made Ruby want to cry. She hated seeing her friends and family like this.

“How is he?” she asked weakly.

Jaune and Yang glanced at each other, unsure how to answer. Finally, Jaune looked at her.

“Physically speaking, he’s fine. His aura was damaged from the fight, but I used my Semblance so he’s alright now. Mentally speaking…”. He hesitated and looked at Yang once again. The blonde was biting her lip much like her sister did moments ago.

“Ruby,” she said, sitting next to her sister. “He’s…not okay. I’ve never seen him like that, even after Ozpin’s betrayal. I… I’m not sure he’ll ever get back up.”

“But he has to!” Ruby cried. “He can’t give up, not after everything! He was doing better!”

“Do you… think he’s going to drink again?” asked Weiss. She was all too familiar with adults in her life being unable to stray away from bottles of alcohol and frankly, she liked Qrow better when he was sober.

“I hope not.” quietly said Blake. “He was doing good so far and to be honest, we can’t afford to lose a Huntsman to something like that. We all need each other for the fight that’s coming.”

The silence fell again on the airship. But the silence and the worry filling the room were driving Ruby mad. The man who was hurting behind this heavy door was her uncle! He was family and she shouldn’t be sitting on her ass while he was suffering alone, his pride be damned.

“I’m going to see him.” She said, standing up. She glanced at her sister who wore her hesitation on her face.

“I’m not sure Ruby… He doesn’t really talk. I’m not sure he even registered Jaune and I being in the room just now.”

“I don’t care. He needs his family. I’m going.”

Sighing, Yang followed her little sister. Ruby was right, she usually was. And while she wasn’t as close to their uncle as Ruby was, Yang still loved him dearly and the man had raised her alongside her dad and mum. When Summer died, Qrow had stepped in to help a grieving Taiyang raised his little girls. Yang had too many memories of Qrow showing up drunk at their house in the middle of the night, but she knew he tried. Despite the alcohol, he took care of them. Now it was their turn to take care of him.

🍀🍀🍀🍀

“Uncle Qrow?” timidly said Ruby, entering the back room with Yang right next to her.

No answer came from the man sitting on the bench, his head low and hands clutching at what Ruby guessed was Clover’s pin. She tried calling his name again, but still no answer. Yang walked towards him and sat cross-legged in front of their uncle while Ruby took a spot on the bench next to him. For a while, no one said anything. They just sat in silence while the girls were trying to think of something to say to their uncle. But what was there to be said? He had been trying to get better, quitting drinking and finally finding someone he could rely on, someone who he loved and who had loved him back, and that person died in front of him.

“It’s fine, girls.” finally said Qrow, making his nieces jump from the sudden noise. “Go rest. It’s fine.”

“But-”

“We’re not leaving you alone.” exclaimed Yang, cutting her little sister. “We’re family and we need to be here for you when you need us!”

“I got Clover killed. That’s all there is to it.” said Qrow with the most neutral voice Ruby had ever heard coming from him. It was scary, really. Her uncle’s voice had always been very telling of how he was feeling. Granted, annoyance was the most recurrent emotion you could hear from him, but Ruby had heard his voice being proud, angry, teasing, laughing and even sad. But never this. Never this emptiness. She didn’t like it. Slowly, she put a gentle hand on his arm.

“But you didn’t kill him. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know you didn’t kill him.”

“Tyrian did it, didn’t he?” intervened Yang. “There were footsteps running away from your location and I know he was travelling with you all.”

“It doesn’t matter, Yang” answered Qrow, raising his head just a little to get a quick glimpse at his niece’s face. “I let Harbinger being taken by the enemy, broke Clover’s aura and I was a distraction. Adding my Semblance to the mix… I didn’t physically kill him, but I might as well have done it. That’s on me.”

The sisters let their shoulders and face fall. So that’s what happened. Yang felt anger bubbling inside her. Her uncle had made mistakes, but he didn’t deserve this. Especially with Harbinger which he loved so much and was so proud of. How was he supposed to pick it up again? She tried to calm herself. She was there to comfort a family member and she was not about to make it about her by throwing a temper tantrum.

“But that’s not on you, uncle Qrow. That’s Tyrian, you know how he is, he-”

“Listen, Ruby.” Interrupted Qrow, standing straighter on the bench. “I appreciate you two coming to check on me, I really do. But I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now.”

The two sisters looked at each other and Yang shrugged her shoulders. Well then, they didn’t have to talk to support their uncle. Yang stood up and sat on the other side of the man, and the two girls hugged around him. They felt him go rigid between them and only hugged him harder.

Surrounded by his nieces’ warmth, Qrow felt himself calm down for the first time since he had seen his weapon through Clover’s chest. He wasn’t okay. He was far from okay and he would never stop missing Clover, never stop loving him. But knowing the optimistic idiot, he wouldn’t want Qrow to go back to the man he was before. It wouldn’t be easy, but he would do it. He had his girls and the other kids, he would wear Clover’s pin with _pride_. A single tear fell from his eye and onto the pin he was holding in his hands. Healing would take time and maybe he would never really get over what happened to the man he loved. But Qrow had a mission.

For Remnant,

For the kids,

For his family,

For Clover,

And for himself.

_Live._

**Author's Note:**

> I was fine with going full denial about what happened but I kept thinking about how Qrow must be feeling. Since I doubt he'll get a proper comfort hug, I decided to give him that. This will probably be my only fic that acknowledges Clover's de*th as canon. I just want Qrow to know he's loved.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
